Sex and The Swamp Thing

I have new piece over at Tor.com about Alan Moore's legendary run on THE SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING from 1983 to 1987. I really don't think that comix get much better than Moore's work with artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben on this series. Together this creative team turned SWAMP THING from a horror story into a densely layered and emotionally resonant romantic fantasy. Moore expanded Swampy's universe and his mythic meaning. He also gave him a sex life that remains unparalleled in most superhero comix.

I am sure that for some readers this transition was a bridge too far--for some the whole thing must have seemed too trippy, weird, indulgent. And I mean to take nothing away from the work of writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson (both of whom I greatly admire), who created Swamp Thing.

I'm not interested in whether Moore's Swamp Thing is better or worse than the iterations of the character it either succeed or preceded. I'm interested in what he did on his run. I think it ranks among his best work and can stand alongside such acknowledged masterpieces as WATCHMEN and V FOR VENDETTA. Check out the piece "Sex and The Swamp Thing" over at Tor.